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Saturday, 12 December 2015

Succulent Christmas Tree

I could not wait to make this succulent Christmas tree.
I wasn't exactly sure how to do it but I had seen a photo of different versions so I decided to wing it.

It is messy but so much fun. I dragged my 14 year old granddaughter out of her bedroom and off the iPhone to help. Her response was "who do you think I am; Dirt girl?" We ended spending important together time and laughed for the whole afternoon getting down and dirty and creating our living Christmas tree.

The plant trainer needs to fit into the pot
Bend the legs of the plant trainer if need be so it fits snuggly

The black mesh needs to be cut to size so you can line the inside of the trainer.
Put the mesh inside and secure it to the wire of the trainer with cable ties (cut off the long bits)

Next step is to put the potting mix into a
bucket and soak it with water. It needs to be wet otherwise it will not pack in tightly and will fall out.
You need a helper now to hold the trainer upside down in a bucket.
Start filling the trainer with the wet potting mix (Don't worry if some falls out the bucket will catch it and you can add it to the top)

When you have filled it to the very top fit a piece of cardboard over it and tuck it in snuggly (this is because when you turn the trainer over it is less likely to spill out: Each person is to put one hand on the cardboard and the other on the trainer to flip over)

Next you need to fill the pot. I didn't fill mine with just potting mix as it is a bit of a waste. I 3/4 filled with rocks, bark chips and leaves and then the last with potting mix.
Now for the tricky bit. With your helper both put one hand on the cardboard one hand on the side of the trainer and together quickly turn it upside down into the pot.

Now start adding the succulents.
The stem of the succulent needs to be a little long so it goes a way into the soil. I used a wooden paint brush to pre make the hole so the stem slid in nicely (if you try to push them in they will break)
Start at the bottom. Every time you make a new hole above the succulent that is already in it actually pushes the soil down tightly around the stem.
The soil will drop down a bit as you work your way up but once you get to the top you can feed soil into the trainer a little at a time.
It was a messy job but the end result was worth it and I got to spend much needed time with someone I love.
Merry Christmas everyone and don't forget to water your living Christmas tree.